The Clinical Fellowship Programme aims to provide successful candidates the opportunity to learn the latest techniques in patient management & care and to help foster their careers as MS physicians. Meet current recipients Antonia, Claudia, Victoria and Emanuel:
Claudia Guio-Sanchez is from Colombia. She will attend the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, under the mentorship of Dr. Mar Tintore. During her one-year fellowship, her research will focus on comorbidities in Latin-American patients with MS and regional differences with a high prevalence population.
“One of my deepest professional desires is to promote medical education by teaching neurology residents, medical students, other neurologists and nurses from my hospital how to adequately take care for patients with MS,” says Claudia. “Specifically, I hope to inspire other female neurology residents and medical students from my country to receive training in demyelinating disorders to reduce the existing gender gap in Colombia’s neurological and MS fields.”
Victoria Fernandez is from Argentina, and will also attend CEMCAT under Dr. Georgina Arrambide. During her one-year fellowship, she will research neurofilament light chain levels in serum as a prognostic marker of disease evolution and treatment response in MS.
“By doing this fellowship, I aim to increase my knowledge in MS patients’ clinical care, including diagnostic tools, prognostic assessment and treatment strategies, as well as to be involved in a research project that focuses on the characterisation of new biomarkers that will hopefully help us in a near future to provide the best care for these patients,” says Victoria.
Manuel Salavisa comes from Portugal. He will attend Queen Mary University London in London, U.K., under the mentorship of Prof. Klaus Schmierer. During his one-year fellowship, his research will focus on natalizumab for the treatment of people with inflammatory demyelination suggestive of MS, or definite MS.
“Following the conclusion of this program, my main objective is to return to my home institution, applying the acquired clinical knowledge and experience to serve the betterment of the care for our MS patients,” says Manuel. “It is my belief that a concrete change, with clinical impact in patients’ lives, can be accomplished through the practical application of organisational principles realised in this programme”.
Antonia Lefter comes from Romania. She will attend Roger Salengro University Hospital in Lille, France, under the mentorship of Prof. Hélène Zéphir. During her one-year fellowship, her research will focus on the structural & functional characterisation of optic nerve lesions following acute optic neuritis in people with MS and other neuroinflammatory disorders.
“Upon completion of the ECTRIMS fellowship, I believe I will have a more comprehensive view on MS therapeutic management, to the benefit of my patients,” says Antonia. “Another training goal is to improve my neurodiagnostic abilities, learning from radiologists with high expertise in MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases of the central nervous system.”
Antonia, Claudia, Victoria and Emanuel are among the nearly dozen successful recipients chosen this year for ECTRIMS’ various fellowship programmes, who now have the opportunity to build experience working on key research in the field of multiple sclerosis, while receiving training and mentoring throughout the programme.